


No One Told Me

by pkmndaisuki



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2018-03-22 05:36:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3717082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pkmndaisuki/pseuds/pkmndaisuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A woman is murdered and her teenage daughter is the only witness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_The phrase "blood is thicker than water" is often used as an explanation, or excuse, for claiming family relation is stronger than any other bond. However, the phrase is a misquote. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb" is the true phrase. That who we choose to surround ourselves with have a greater bond with us than those we're born to know. In some way, both are correct. While you can form deep bonds of friendship that can last a lifetime, there's also something to be said for kinship._

* * *

Henry started pulling on his latex gloves as he approached the scene of yet another dead body. Some days the job was exhausting to think about; just how many people in this city wind up dead in the street, in their homes, in the river. Nevertheless, it was his job, and he’d see it through to the end.

Jo met him halfway, coming from the direction of the body on the ground. It was of a Caucasian woman with short sandy hair. He noticed an ambulance nearby.

"Our victim's name is Donna Alpine, 45," Jo started. "The ambulance is checking on a teenager who called the police. She's apparently the victim's daughter, but she hasn't said a word since the 911 call."

"A common occurrence among those who've been through trauma," Henry noted. The two started walking towards the body. "What's Lucas noticed about the victim so far?"

"That she was shot. CSU's looking for the shell casing now."

Henry knelt down next to Lucas by the body. He hovered his fingers over the wound, then glanced up at the victim's face. He did a slight double take, feeling something oddly familiar about her.

He'd never heard the name Donna Alpine before, nor had he ever seen her before. There wasn't anything necessarily remarkable about her face; squared jaw, thin lips, somewhat rounded nose. It was her eyebrows that caught his eye. But only for a second.

"Something up, doc?" Lucas asked, snapping Henry from his train of thought.

"No, just thought there was something familiar about the victim. In any case, this appears to have been a clean shot, point blank. However..." Henry tilted the body by the shoulder to look at the back. "There isn't an exit wound. Which, you might've figured from the lack of blood on the pavement."

"So, what, is the bullet still lodged in her somewhere?" Lucas guessed.

"Possibly. Only way to know is to get her to the lab." Both Henry and Lucas stood back up, and Lucas began instructing the technicians in transporting the body. Henry ambled towards Jo, who was looking at the teenager sitting in the ambulance. "Is she still not talking?"

"Doesn't look like it. Not even to the EMTs," Jo admitted.

"Let me try." Henry walked over to the ambulance, hoping to high heaven he could get her to talk to him. He hadn’t had the best luck in talking with teenagers. Not even his own.

* * *

1959

" _Abraham Michael Morgan!_ " Henry bellowed down the hall. Abe slowly opened his bedroom door and peeked his head out.

"Yeah, pop?" Abe said, trying to sound like nothing was wrong.

"Come to the living room. _Now_."

Abe gingerly stepped down the hall, and stood in the entryway to the living room. Henry was sitting in his chair facing the entryway, elbows on the rests, fingers folded together, his right leg crossed over his left. He was looking at a pile of papers in the center of the room.

Magazines.

"In attempting to put away your most recent laundry load, which you _really_ should be doing yourself at your age, I found these under your bed. And behind your dresser. And _within_ the dresser. Care to explain how you accrued this many issues?" Henry asked, still staring at the magazines. "The allowance your mother and I grant you couldn't possibly pay for all of these. Nor would you possibly be old enough to purchase some of these. I'd like an answer. A truthful one." He then stared at his son. "This. _Instant_ , young man."

Abe turned red from embarrassment. He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and started staring at his shoes.

"I... I've been borrowing them from Ned."

"Ned who?"

"Ned Lester. Well, Ned's older brother, Terrence," Abe admitted. "Ned was bragging about them, but didn't want Terrence to know that he was the one who had them."

"So, he's having you become an accessory to theft?" Henry wondered aloud. Abe snapped his head up.

"What? No! I'm--"

"--Holding them for a friend. Who has apparently stolen them himself. Abraham, what made you think this was a good idea?"

Abe slowly returned to examining his shoelaces. He turned silent. Henry sighed and leaned his head on one hand, realizing he wasn't going to get much of anywhere trying to interrogate the boy.

* * *

“Hello,” Henry began, standing next to the girl in the back of the ambulance. She had very curly dirty blonde hair, light blue eyes, the same complexion as her mother, a slightly rounded nose like her mother, and the same eyebrows as her mother. She glanced in Henry’s direction, but didn’t say anything.

“I'm the Medical Examiner. My name is Henry.” He took off his gloves and held out his hand. The girl slowly took it in her own and gently shook it once.

“...Morgan,” she muttered. Henry couldn’t help but chuckle. She looked at him funny.

“Don’t worry, Morgan, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just my last name happens to be Morgan,” he explained. Morgan smiled a little bit. “There we are!” he exclaimed, which then made Morgan chuckle a bit. But she then stopped herself, and went back to her sullen self.

"How old are you, Morgan?" Henry asked.

"Sixteen," she answered, looking down. She was silent for a while. “...My mom. She… she was trying to… to protect me.”

“From whom?” Henry gently asked.

“I dunno,” Morgan answered. “I didn’t get a good look. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Henry then looked down at the lip of the ambulance next to where Morgan was seated, in a silent way of asking if he could sit beside her. Morgan scooted a bit to her right, allowing Henry room to sit. “If you were to come with us, to the police station, do you think you could tell us what all happened, and what you saw?”

Morgan thought for a minute, staring at her swinging feet. She then nodded slightly.

“Only if you’re there though,” she said.

“Of course. I’ll be right there with you. Now then,” Henry said, hopping down from the ambulance, “would you like to meet a few friends of mine? They’ll be working with me to solve the case.” He held out his hand to her. She took it, and Henry helped her down. The two then walked over to where Jo and Lucas were waiting.

“Morgan, this is Detective Jo Martinez--” Jo smiled and nodded “-- and this is the Assistant Medical Examiner, Doctor Lucas Wahl.”

“Hiya,” Lucas said with a small grin.

“This is Morgan, Donna’s daughter,” Henry said. Morgan gave them a slight smile.

“We're sorry about your mom. Nice to meet you Miss Alpine,” Jo said. Morgan shook her head.

“Morgan Myers,” she corrected. “My dad died a few years ago, so mom went back to her maiden name.”

“Ah, gotcha. Sorry about your dad, too,” Jo said. Morgan nodded in thanks.

“Morgan said she’ll tell us her story at the station. Provided I’m in there with her,” Henry explained. “Can you handle things without me for a while, Lucas?”

“Yeah, sure thing, boss. Not my first rodeo. Or, is it barbecue? Either way, I got you,” Lucas assured him. Henry was a bit unsure, thanks to his erratic use of idioms, but he knew Lucas was indeed capable of getting things started. At least Morgan was amused by him.

Henry and Morgan then rode back to the eleventh with Jo, with Henry's thoughts focusing on the fact that a newly-made orphan was riding with them.

* * *

“Mom and I were going home from visiting my grandmom,” Morgan began. She was sitting in a meeting room with Henry, Jo and Mike Hanson, as opposed to an interrogation room. “She’s got some kind of memory problem, so she lives in a nursing home now. Mom and I were gonna take a taxi, but no one stopped for us. So, mom decided we’d walk home instead. She said she and grandmom used to walk home all the time when she was my age.

“We got about as far as where you found us when this guy showed up. The light was behind him, so we couldn’t really see him. He said we were trespassing. But, we didn’t see any signs about private property, or construction sites, or that some show was gonna film there, or anything. And mom said so.

“Then the guy pulled gun on us. Mom put herself in front of me, and…”

Morgan took a few breaths, trying to compose herself. Henry put a hand on her shoulder, as a silent assurance that she could finish.

“And the guy shot her. Once. She dropped, I screamed. The guy took off. I then got out my phone and called 911. And that’s it.”

“You said that because the light was behind the guy, you couldn’t see him clearly. Could you tell anything about him? Like, how tall he was, or something?” Hanson suggested. Morgan thought for a second.

“Maybe. Do you have paper and a pencil? I might be able to draw it.”

“Sure. I’ll try and grab something from one of our sketch artists.” Mike then left the room. He was nearly barreled over by Lucas on the way out.

“Sorry, Mike!” Lucas apologized before stumbling into the room. “Hey, doc, you got a minute? Need you to see something.”

“Do you mind, Morgan?” Henry asked the girl. Morgan shook her head.

“I’ll be okay,” she said. Henry nodded and followed Lucas back to the elevator.

* * *

“So, I figured out what happened to the bullet,” Lucas started once they were on their floor. They walked towards the main room of the lab. “I was right, it was stuck. Between two replacement vertebrae.”

“Well, that’s a lucky break on our part. Certainly didn’t help Ms. Alpine.” The two approached the table where Ms. Alpine was, the bullet on a separate tray with the surgical tools. “So what do we have here?”

* * *

 Morgan was almost done with her sketch. It appeared to be a man in a short-sleeved shirt and long pants with a cap that had a funny almost cone-shaped body to it. His left elbow was higher up than his right. And there were a few parts that Morgan didn’t shade in; she’d left a strip of white on his right breast. With a few finishing touches, she turned the picture to Jo and Mike. They looked at the drawing, and seemed a bit unsettled.

* * *

 “It’s a 9mm,” Lucas answered. "And, CSU just sent down the shell casing.” He showed the evidence bag to Henry. “You’re not gonna like this.”

Henry took the bag in his hand and examined its contents.

“Looks like this came from a Glock 19,” he muttered. “Which means…”

* * *

 “It’s a cop,” Jo said.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hanson, do you have a minute? Lucas and I found out something that could help identify a suspect,” Henry began as he approached Mike standing outside the meeting room, but then noticed Morgan’s sketch in his hand. It corroborated with what the medical examiners had already discovered. It appeared that their killer was a cop.

“Was the bullet something you’d find in a standard issue?” Mike asked. Henry sighed and nodded.

“Yes. A 9mm from a Glock 19. Whoever the killer is may indeed be one of our own,” he said despondently. “Or, at the very least, an impersonator.”

“Any other thoughts based on this?” Mike asked, handing the sketch to Henry. Henry examined it closely.

“They’re left-handed.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “How can you tell?”

“The way Morgan drew his arms. When you or Jo aim your gun, you hold the trigger with your right hands and support underneath with your left. In doing so, your right elbows are higher than your left elbows. In this drawing, the elbow position is reversed, indicating that our killer is holding the gun in his left hand. Hence,” Henry handed the sketch back to Hanson, “left-handed.”

“Oh. Well that’s simple enough to figure out.” Mike added the sketch to a file that had been started on the case. “Also, Morgan told us about the nursing home her grandmother is staying in. I’m gonna go see her and the staff to make sure no one’d been following them. And to let the grandmother know what happened to her daughter.”

“If she can even understand it. Morgan did say she was suffering some memory issues.”

“Yeah. Well, wish me luck,” Hanson said. Henry nodded, and Hanson left the precinct.

Henry looked back inside the meeting room. Morgan and Jo were still in there. Morgan looked up and saw him. She gave a small wave, which prompted Jo to turn around in her seat. Henry waved back, and Jo motioned him in.

“Hanson showed me your drawing.” Henry took a seat next to Jo. “You’ve got quite the skill.”

“Thanks,” Morgan replied. “My art teacher thinks so too.”

“Hanson tell you he’s headed to the nursing home?” Jo asked. Henry nodded.

“Also, did you notice that the man was left-handed?” he asked, with a bit of a smirk. Morgan and Jo both nodded. Henry’s smirk dropped.

“Listen, Henry, can I talk to you for a sec?” Jo asked, motioning that they would speak outside. “We won’t be long,” she assured Morgan.

Outside, Jo and Henry stood near the window to the meeting room.

“We’ve got a slight problem,” Jo said. “Morgan’s a minor.”

“How’s that an issue?”

“Her mother and father are dead, as are her paternal grandparents. Both her mom and dad were only children, she has no idea who her maternal grandfather is, and her grandmother isn’t of sound mind. And she’s our only witness. We need her to stay safe, but we can’t keep her here.”

“So she needs somewhere to stay. At least, until the case is resolved.”

“I live alone, Hanson’s already got two kids to deal with, and I don’t think it’d be good to just put her up in a hotel.”

“Are you suggesting that she stay with me?” Henry asked, picking up on Jo’s point.

“She trusts you, Henry. You’re the one who got her to open up,” she said.

“I have to work this case, too, you know.”

“Abe doesn’t.”

“Abe is 70 years old and has a shop to run. I don’t know if sticking a teenager on him is the best idea.” Henry pondered the idea a moment. “Then again, there are times when he acts like a teenager himself. Has any of this been brought to Lt. Reece’s attention?”

“Nope. That’s up to you,” Jo said with a smile

Henry sighed and braced himself before going to the lieutenant’s office. It’s not that they didn’t get along. They work together just fine. Sometimes the fact that he’s not technically NYPD comes in handy for a case, and she uses that knowledge to her advantage. They’ve even stood together listening to interrogations. But even so, they’ve had their tiffs and disagreements. As such, he was still a bit nervous when he had to approach her one on one.

* * *

 Henry knocked before entering her office, and sat in a chair opposite Lt. Reece, who sat behind her desk.

“How’s the case going, Dr. Morgan?” Reece asked.

“Well, through the daughter’s testimony and sketch of the killer, and mine and Lucas’ examination of the body,” Henry began, dreading her reaction to the conclusion, “we’ve come to believe that our killer... could possibly be an officer.”

Reece lowered her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. She let out a deep sigh.

“ _Dammit_ ,” she muttered. She quickly regained composure, but her disappointment and disgust could still be read in her eyes. “Any way of knowing who it was yet?”

“The only things we know for certain are that the killer was a man, that he shot Ms. Alpine using his left hand, and he used a Glock 19.”

“That does narrow it down some. Some officers opt to use a SIG rather than a Glock. I’ll see if I can find some candidates.” Reece started writing a memo about what Henry had told her. She then looked up and saw that he hadn’t left. “Something else, Morgan?”

“Yes, actually. It’s about the other Morgan. The witness, I mean. Since she’s a minor we can’t exactly keep her here, but she’s our only witness. She’s become orphaned by this murder, and her only living relative lives in a nursing home,” Henry started to explain.

“So what are you about to ask me?”

“Would it be possible for me to house her? At least until the end of the case.”

“But you’re working this case,” Reece recalled. “You won’t be able to watch her.”

“True. But you remember that I have a roommate in Mr. Abe Morgan, yes?”

“You think he’d be up for babysitting a sixteen-year-old?” Reece asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Sometimes he’s just as spry as one,” Henry reasoned.

“Let me rephrase: Have you _asked_ him if he’s up for babysitting a sixteen-year-old?”

Henry then realized that he hadn’t even called Abe yet to address even the possibility. He was this far in, though, and certainly hoped that Abe wouldn’t mind. Although, the last teenager he found hanging around in the shop he almost had arrested.

“I wanted to be sure it was alright with you first. Didn’t want to get his hopes up,” Henry said, which wasn’t entirely a lie. Reece let out an amused huff and gave a small smirk.

“Well, it’s fine with me. For the duration of the case, that is.” She then turned her desk phone around for him. “Give Mr. Morgan a call.”

* * *

Abe was finishing up his twelfth crossword puzzle that day. Business was incredibly slow, but it was a Wednesday. Most people come around on Tuesdays or Saturdays. He readjusted his glasses, as they’d begun to slip down his nose, and tried for the third time to come up with a nine-letter word meaning “a double meaning” that started with an e and had two q’s in it. Just as he was about to give up and use a dictionary, the phone rang.

“Abe’s Antiques, Abe speaking,” he answered.

“ _Hello, Abe, it’s Henry_ ,” his father replied. Abe started beaming at his voice.

“Hey Henry! Great timing. You know a nine-letter word that starts with an e and has two q’s in it that means ‘a double meaning’?” he asked, pen still in hand.

“ _‘Equivoque,' but I didn’t--_ ”

“How do you spell that?”

“ _E-Q-U-I-V-O-Q-U-E_ ,” Henry answered with a sigh. “ _But that’s not why I called._ ”

“I figured it wasn’t. Just thought I’d ask before I forgot,” Abe said. He finished writing the last e and set his pen down. “What’s up?”

“ _Well, I’m working on a case with only one witness. Trouble is, she’s sixteen, and her only living relative lives in a nursing home_ ,” Henry explained.

“You want me to watch her, is that it?”

“ _Would you? It’d only be for the duration of the case_ ,” Henry reasoned.

Abe thought a moment, taking off his glasses. He’d have to clean out the guest room before she arrived. The place was filled with boxes of Henry’s knick-knacks he’d gathered over the centuries that they hadn’t priced yet. Not to mention it needed a good vacuuming and the bed needed new sheets.

“Give me a couple hours to spruce up the guest room, and you got yourself a babysitter.”

“ _Wonderful. Thank you, Abe. See you then,_ ” Henry said, and the two ended the call.

* * *

“He said to give him two hours to get the guest room in shape,” Henry shared with Reece.

“Alright. Go and tell Miss Myers the good news, then.”

Henry left Reece’s office and made his way back to the meeting room. Jo and Morgan were still sitting at the table.

“Just finished filling Morgan in on the possible plan,” Jo said as Henry entered. Morgan looked up at him expectantly.

“Am I really gonna stay with you?” she asked. Henry smiled.

“In a matter of hours, Morgan,” he answered. Morgan beamed. “We’d best head back to your home so you can pack for a few days. Up to a week’s worth at most,” Henry suggested.

“I’ll drive,” Jo announced, and the three headed out.


End file.
